Archive for December, 2008
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
Costa Rican authorities announced yesterday they have frozen $2.6 million in assets in bank accounts tied to Colombian drug lord Edgar Vallejo-Guarín, also known as Jairo Gómez and “Beto the Gypsy,” who was detained in September in Spain.
Costa Rican Chief Prosecutor Francisco Dall’Anese said in a press conference that deposits totaling $2.6 million had been made under the name “Beto the Gypsy” in Costa Rica to the accounts of different businesses, a friend and girlfriend of Vallejo’s.
Dall’Anese said Vallejo-Guarín was one of the five most-wanted drug lords by the U.S., but added that the investigation is continuing, and he did not rule out the possible existence of further funds in other accounts.
“Blows to the pocketbooks are the ones that hurt criminal organizations the most,” the chief prosecutor said.
In June 2001, a federal judge in Florida charged Vallejo-Guarín with various drug trafficking charges, and a $5 million ransom was placed on his head.
Spanish authorities, with information from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, arrested Vallejo-Guarín in Madrid on Sept. 4.
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Thursday, December 18th, 2008
President Oscar Arias yesterday signed a law that will dramatically increase penalties for traffic violations and, authorities hope, reduce roadway accidents that kill on average about one person a day in Costa Rica.
Under the new law, drunk drivers automatically lose their license for two years and could be locked up for one-to-three years, although a judge can replace jail time with community service. Driving faster than 150 kph and racing other cars carry the same penalty.
The law, a reform to 1993 legislation, also raises the maximum fine for traffic violations to $410 from $36. A driver is charged $410 for speeding at 120 kph or driving without a valid license or permit. Forgetting to wear a seatbelt, holding a cell phone, or ignoring traffic lights carry a $310 fine.
“I know this law is harsh,” Arias said. “But rather than get scared, we should thank lawmakers for passing it. We have let (drivers) get away with too much. ”
In the coming days, the law will be published in La Gaceta, the official government newspaper, and criminal penalties will take effect two weeks later. Fines will take effect in September to give the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) time to inform drivers about the changes.
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Thursday, December 18th, 2008
The Biedron family arrived in Costa Rica yesterday in the midst of pomp and celebration as they were the 2 millionth visitor this year, marking a milestone for the country.
Mark and Gretchen Biedron and their five children were awarded the distinction within minutes of getting off their flight at the Juan Santamaría international aiport in San Jose.
The Instuto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) - tourism board - had predicted that visitor number 2 million woul arrive between December 15 and 19.
In 1999, the Costa Rica broke the 1 million visitor per year mark.
“We will head for the beach, swim with the dolphins, visit the mountains, go horseback riding, learn to surf, visit the falls, there is so much to do in Costa Rica”, said Mark Biedron.
The Biedrons arrived at 12:30pmn on a Continental flight from Newark, New Jersey.
Tourism in Costa Rica generates some us$2.2 billion dollars annually, representing 7% of the Gross Domestic Product, according to the ICT.
Tourism minister, Carlos Benavides, said that the Biedrons are the typical tourist Costa Rica looks to attract.
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Thursday, December 18th, 2008
Drivers of vehicles regardless of final license plate number can travel through the restricted area of the San José starting Monday and until Jan. 5. The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes has suspended the restrictions that were designed to decrease congestion and save fuel. The restriction that kept 20 percent of the vehicles out of the area at peak hours has been in force since June.
The ministry said, however, that restrictions on heavy trucks and the hours they may travel into the city will continue.
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Wednesday, December 17th, 2008
Alvarion Ltd. (NASDAQ:ALVR), the world’s leading provider of WiMAX™ and wireless broadband solutions, today announced that it was awarded a $6 million contract by ICE (Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad), Costa Rica’s leading incumbent operator for telecommunications and electricity. Under the terms of the agreement Alvarion will implement a turnkey project to provide advanced broadband services, deploying its 4Motion® solution with its WiMAX Forum Certified™ BreezeMAX® 2500 platform, and enabling ICE to enhance its network performance while providing customers with advanced means of communication. (more…)
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Wednesday, December 17th, 2008
A win against Ecuador, which was already necessary prior to the Germany-Poland game, now may be the only result that keeps Costa Rican hopes alive in the tournament. Even though a tie will not disqualify the Central American team, a win over Ecuador will leave both teams with 3 points and one game to play. But while Ecuador will face the heavy favoured Germans, Costa Rica will play Poland - which has already lost twice in the tournament. So, if the Ticos can somehow manage to defeat the South Americans today they will take a giant step towards making the second round. It will be a difficult game, but it is possible!
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Wednesday, December 17th, 2008
Opponents of the Tratado Libre de Comercio (TLC) - free trade agreement with the United States - apparently will not stop until the December 31 deadline passes and the trade deal is dead.
The latest roadblock is the failure of the legislature to approve two of the four nominations to the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (SUTEL). (more…)
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Tuesday, December 16th, 2008
The Spanish International Cooperation Agency announced yesterday a 35,000-euro ($47,900) donation to help Costa Rica prevent the spread of illness in the Caribbean region after heavy flooding hit the area at the end of November and early December.
The donation will go via the Pan-American Health Organization to Costa Rica’s Public Health Ministry.
The Spanish agency said the funds will be used to prevent problems such as dengue, malaria and pests, as well as ensure the quality of drinking water in homes and sanitary infrastructure, according to a press release.
Spain joins such France, the United States and the Netherlands as donors following the latest flooding, which left one person dead, forced more than 5,000 people out of their homes and caused more than $75,000 in infrastructural damage, primarily in the Caribbean province of Limón.
France donated 50,000 euros (about $68,400) and the United States gave $50,000, and loaned helicopters for evacuation operations. The Dutch, meanwhile, have pledged engineering expertise in flood prevention.
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Tuesday, December 16th, 2008
Puerto Viejo de Carapiqui, Costa Rica - A world leader in ecotourism, Costa Rica is a country that promotes nature conservation instead of the ruthless exploitation of natural resources, and wildlife-watching instead of competitive drinking at the side of hotel pools. The Central American nation is considered a role model in this respect, and its many natural treasures - including crater lakes, smoking and dormant volcanoes, Pacific and Caribbean beaches, and rain forests with howler monkeys, toucans and sloths - attract more and more tourists every year.
Even little creatures are big stars in Costa Rica. Take, for instance, a red poison dart frog spotted in the bushes by the Sarapiqui River. It looked up to see two cameras pointed in its direction. Barely as big as a thumb, the pipsqueak puffed out its throat mightily.
Two tourists from Germany, along with the rest of the small group, heeded the advice of Karla Barquero, their guide: They kept still and photographed without flashbulbs. The brightly coloured amphibian, normally quite shy, seemed to appreciate this behaviour and did not bound away. (more…)
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Tuesday, December 16th, 2008
March 3 as Iron Maiden arrives in Costa Rica for what is being billed as a “monster concert”.
Put on by the same uber concert promoter that brought the country Latin heartthrob Alejandro Sanz, Sting, the Black Eyed Peas and more recently Placido Domingo, Iron Maiden may be the biggest draw yet. That’s because heavy metal and 80’s music in particular is still widely played on radio by college age men and women. It is more a staple than the salsa music typically played in other Latin American nations.
Iron Maiden is a pioneer of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They first rose to fame in the early 1980s, and after several lineup changes, they went on to release a string of platinum and gold albums. These include the US platinum-selling landmark The Number of the Beast in 1982 and the follow up Piece of Mind in 1983. Iron Maiden released their newest studio effort in 2006 entitled A Matter of Life and Death peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in the UK. (more…)
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Monday, December 15th, 2008
In a visit to Costa Rica yesterday, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund said that Costa Rica is in relatively good shape to weather the global economic slowdown.
Strauss-Kahn, however, the country’s central bank should remain ready to act.
Strauss-Kahn met with Costa Rica’s president, Oscar Arias, the ministro de Hacienda, Guillermo Zúñiga, and the president of the Central Bank, Francisco de Paula Gutierrez.
Strauss-Kahn said there was general agreement that a combination of domestic policy adjustment and external financing are needed to help the Costa Rican economy and people deal with the slowdown.
“In this regard, the country can confront the challenging global environment from a position of relative strength,” he said in a statement. “The prudent fiscal stance of recent years provides the authorities with some room for maneuver.”
The Central Bank must remain “vigilant” to ensure “a smooth adjustment in domestic demand and the current account deficit, maintain the attractiveness of local currency assets, and ensure that inflation expectations converge toward the central bank’s inflation target,” he said.
Strauss-Kahn added that the IMF stands ready to help Costa Rica with as much credit as it needs to face the global financial crisis.
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Monday, December 15th, 2008
Another American has been arrested in the Costa Rica business scam that bilked people in the US out of some serious money. The scammers employed virtual resources to make it seem like they were located in the U.S.
“The Postal Inspection Service investigated a virtual office in Reno, Nev., and learned that it and the U.S. Mail were being used as part of a international fraud scheme aimed at United States citizens. Our investigation discovered a web of deception that led to Costa Rica. With international cooperation, we have now arrested two of the leaders of this scheme.” said U. S. Postal Inspector in Charge Pete Zegarac, based in Phoenix.
According to the Department of Justice:
Stephen Schultz was arrested based on charges that he and a co-conspirator, Jeffrey Pearson, purported to sell beverage and greeting card business opportunities, including assistance in establishing, maintaining and operating such businesses. The charges form part of the government’s continued nationwide crackdown on business opportunity fraud.
Pearson was arrested on Dec. 9, 2008, in Costa Rica. The United States intends to seek the extradition of Schultz and Pearson from Costa Rica.
Virtual Offices and VoIP were what the conspirators used to make it seem like they were in the US like their victims.
“We greatly appreciate the effort and cooperation of Costa Rican authorities in arresting these two defendants,” said Gregory G. Katsas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division. Assistant Attorney General Katsas commended the investigative efforts of the Postal Inspection Service offices based in Reno, Nev., and Miami.
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Friday, December 12th, 2008
Costa Rica property investment has provided investors with great capital gains over the last few years with low downside volatility.
Many investors now see Costa Rica property investment as expensive and are looking at other Central American countries such as Belize and Nicaragua, but Costa Rica still looks a better investment in terms of risk to reward due to the following: (more…)
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Friday, December 12th, 2008
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Thursday, December 11th, 2008
This is December. The month of the aguinaldo, the avenidazo, crowds, lots of traffic and the Zapote Fair in San José, school vacation and time to head for the beaches and mountains.
The central government will shut down for the holidays on December 19 and re-open on January 5. Any dealings with the governments will be suspended during that period.
Autonomous government agencies, like ICE, Racsa, CCSS, follow their own closing times, some following the lead of the central government, while others not.
Best to check ahead before heading for a doctors appointment or clinic. Public hospitals and clinics will be open regular hours except for December 25 and 31. All emergency services will operate as normal 24 hours a day, every day.
Banks also close during the holiday period. Most private banks follow the lead of the state banks closing only December 25, 31 and January 1.
At the Acueductos y Alcantarillados (water and sewer) and the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (telephone and electricity), they inform that they will close the central offices and many regional offices from December 19 to January 5, however, customer services offices and booths will be open save for December 25, 31 and January 1.
Only December 25 and January 1 are legal holidays in Costa Rica. However, many businesses and professionals, like doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, etc. shut down from a few days to a week before Christmas and re-open in the new year.
Always call ahead and save yourself a trip.
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